Chinatown Stabbing Suspect Found Not Criminally Responsible
– A man accused of stabbing three people during the Light Up Chinatown festival in 2023 has been found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder, a British Columbia judge ruled today.
Blair Donnelly, 66, pleaded not guilty to three counts of aggravated assault after admitting to the stabbings. The incident occurred while Donnelly was on unescorted leave from the B.C. Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, according to court documents.
Two women were stabbed in the back, and one man was stabbed in the arm during the attack. Justice Eric Gottardi determined that Donnelly’s mental illness rendered him incapable of knowing his actions were wrong at the time of the stabbings.
“We don’t convict people of crimes for being sick,” Gottardi stated during the ruling. To meet the requirements for a finding of not criminally responsible, the judge explained, a person must be suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the incident, and that disorder must have prevented them from understanding the nature of their actions.
The court heard that Donnelly has a history of mental health issues and previous legal findings of not criminally responsible. He was previously found not criminally responsible for stabbing his daughter to death in 2006, and for a 2017 attack on another psychiatric patient with a butter knife.
Donnelly has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder atypical type. His lawyer argued that his mental illness prevented him from recognizing the wrongfulness of his actions. Justice Gottardi noted that he found Donnelly to be a credible witness who genuinely attempted to provide truthful evidence, but expressed concerns about his reliability due to memory problems.
During the trial, testimony revealed that Donnelly experienced a significant religious conversion at age 22, describing it as a “born-again experience” that led him away from a life of drugs and partying and towards marriage and fatherhood. However, the court also heard that this same belief later contributed to violent behavior.
The details of Donnelly’s current disposition and treatment plan were not immediately available following the ruling. Further information regarding the next steps in his case is expected to be released by the B.C. Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in the coming days.
